Contributors
Elizabeth Stivison
Articles by Elizabeth Stivison
Professional Development
Hosting an inclusive virtual conference
Dec. 31, 2021
If you’ve attended any virtual conferences, you know that they aren't perfect. But some solutions have shaken out of the past two years of trial and error.
Professional Development
Conferences for all
Nov. 12, 2021
Our academic careers columnist writes, “(I)t’s a great time to assess how to make conferences more accessible to all before we settle back into the old familiar ways that can end up unintentionally excluding people.”
Jobs
A salary with strings attached
Oct. 22, 2021
Here's what you need to know about postdoc payback agreements.
Observance
World Food Day: Let there be bread. Or not bread, please.
Oct. 16, 2021
Oct. 16 is World Food Day, to commemorate the 1945 founding of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, whose slogan is, “Let There Be Bread.” But that’s not so great for everyone.
Jobs
Taking time before a Ph.D.
Oct. 1, 2021
Our academic careers columnist talked to four people who, like her, found direction and learned a lot about themselves by working between undergrad and grad school.
Jobs
Variety in academia
Sept. 3, 2021
Our academic careers columnist reflects on some of the surprising — and encouraging — answers she’d heard when talking to people about their jobs.
Education
Unspoken rules and other things Ph.D. students need to know
Aug. 13, 2021
Our academic careers columnist completes a two-part series on the stuff grad students need to know but are rarely told.
Education
Wait, Ph.D.s are free? And other things they don’t tell you
July 30, 2021
Our academic careers columnist begins a two-part series on unspoken rules and other things students need to know but are rarely told about grad school.
Jobs
Nice work if you can get it
July 9, 2021
It's not easy to snag a staff scientist position. Here are some words of wisdom from two lucky researchers.
Diversity
LGBTQ+ scientists in history
June 18, 2021
To celebrate Pride Month, columnist Elizabeth Stivison shares a bit about influential LGBTQ+ scientists of the past.
Jobs
Finding joy and meaning outside the Ph.D. track
May 28, 2021
Our academic careers columnist talked to Minakshi Poddar, a research specialist at the University of Pittsburgh, about her decision to leave her Ph.D. program but stay in academia.
Professional Development
Your paper’s been rejected. What now?
May 7, 2021
Our academic careers columnist writes about how to deal with paper rejection both mentally (how to not feel too bad) and practically (what to do next).
Observance
A celebration of our other genome: Mitochondrial DNA
April 22, 2021
The genes in human mtDNA encode some essential components of the electron transport chain, as well as a set of tRNAs and ribosomal RNAs necessary for protein synthesis.
Life in the Lab
A procrastinator’s guide to scheduling your time in lab
April 9, 2021
Our academic careers columnist offers tips and low- and high-tech tools to help you overcome sticking points in your projects.
Jobs
Leaving, and returning to, the academy
March 12, 2021
Our academic careers columnist talked to four people who managed to leave the academy and find a way back in.
Jobs
The wide range of academic institutions
Feb. 19, 2021
There are many different types of academic institutions at which people research, teach and study the life sciences. Our academic careers columnist breaks down the designations.
Professional Development
All about Ph.D. committee meetings
Jan. 29, 2021
Our academic careers columnist breaks down everything you need to know: What they are, what they’re for, and how to get the most out of them.
Outreach
How to get involved in science outreach
Jan. 8, 2021
Our academic careers columnist writes about how students, postdocs and professors can get involved in the essential work of outreach while keeping their day jobs.
Jobs
How PIs pick postdocs
Dec. 18, 2020
Our academic careers columnist talked to lab leaders about their hiring processes.
Professional Development
Get and keep a handle on the literature
Nov. 27, 2020
Whether you're new to the field or trying to do a better job of staying up to date, these tools and techniques will help.
Jobs
Cold emails: a pandemic-friendly way to find a postdoc position
Nov. 6, 2020
Cold emailing, or sending an email to someone you don’t know, can be a little stressful, but now that face-to-face meetings are limited, it's a crucial skill.
Life in the Lab
What to consider during your Ph.D. rotations
Oct. 16, 2020
Choosing the right lab doesn't hinge on the science alone. Find out what other factors you should weigh before making this important decision.
Jobs
What exactly is a chalk talk?
Sept. 25, 2020
Three new professors share their experiences with careers columnist Elizabeth Stivison.
Funding
Private funding for early-career researchers
Sept. 4, 2020
Careers columnist Elizabeth Stivison explores funding available from foundations, nonprofits and other private entities.
Funding
Funding for Ph.D. students, postdocs and early-career researchers
Aug. 14, 2020
These are grants that can fund your training and set you up for a career as an independent, tenure-track investigator.
Jobs
Being a professor at a PUI
July 24, 2020
Careers columnist Elizabeth Stivison talked to professors at PUIs about how they prepared for careers that center teaching, how they incorporate and pay for research, and what they look for in job applicants.
Life in the Lab
How can labs reopen safely?
July 3, 2020
Labs are trying to reopen and get back to research while not spreading COVID-19. Great goal, but how do we do that?
Professional Development
Neurodiversity: How to make your lab more inclusive (part 2)
June 17, 2020
Careers columnist Elizabeth Stivison completes a two-part series for principal investigators who want to make their labs more inclusive to neurodiverse members.
Professional Development
Neurodiversity: How to make your lab more inclusive (part 1)
May 22, 2020
Careers columnist Elizabeth Stivison begins a two-part series for principal investigators who want to make their labs more inclusive to neurodiverse members.
Jobs
Academic job exploration: the core facility manager
May 1, 2020
Careers columnist Elizabeth Stivison interviewed Theresa Swayne, the manager of the confocal and specialized microscopy core facility at Columbia University, to learn about her job.
Essay
A new city, a new job and a global pandemic
April 9, 2020
Elizabeth Stivison and her dog, Milo, moved from New York City to Nashville Tennessee, for her postdoc at Vanderbilt University. Within weeks, she narrowly escaped a tornado and COVID-19 turned the world upside-down.
Jobs
Making the leap: How do PIs start their own labs?
March 20, 2020
Careers columnist Elizabeth Stivison talked to PIs to learn how they started their labs — from where their ideas came from to the logistics of transitioning from postdoc to prof.
Journal News
From the journals: MCP
March 18, 2020
New therapeutic targets for hyperactive mTOR, a SPEEDy way to prepare mass spec samples, and a new program to identify and validate citrullinated peptides. Read about these recent papers in the journal Molecular & Cellular Proteomics.
Professional Development
Up your presentation game
Feb. 28, 2020
These resources will help you give talks people want to listen to.
Jobs
Overview of academic research, teaching and other positions
Feb. 7, 2020
Our careers columnist investigated all the academic job titles she could find to understand what the options are for people looking to participate in research and teaching at colleges and universities.
Award
Yang follows the science where it takes her
Feb. 5, 2020
During her Ph.D., JBC/Tabor award winner Cindy Yang studied the health effects of astaxanthin, an antioxidant carotenoid compound found in algae.
Jobs
Taking vacations as a Ph.D. student
Jan. 17, 2020
"Was I essentially asking for a favor whenever I asked for days off? Or, conversely, was I an idiot by not taking advantage of this unusually free time in my life because I didn’t take vacations all the time?"
Journal News
From the journals: MCP
Jan. 3, 2020
Articles in the journal Molecular & Cellular Proteomics report peptide signatures for ID'g bacteria. the first evidence of phosphorylation in Francisella tularensis, how pathogenic phleboviruses bud and exit host cells, and more.
Jobs
Ups and downs of the adjunct faculty position
Dec. 26, 2019
Our careers columnist examines the pros and cons of the adjunct job: At times it can be a great choice, and at times it ends up being a bad deal.
Annual Meeting
Becoming an active citizen and scientist
Dec. 1, 2019
Ray Blind, a JLR junior associate editor, studies nonmembrane lipids and aims to help students who, like him, didn’t grow up in an elite academic world.
Jobs
How to find a postdoctoral research position
Nov. 26, 2019
Postdoctoral positions in many cases are a springboard for future independent research as an independent academic researcher, but you can move into industry or other careers afterward, too.
Jobs
Technicians and lab managers play essential roles in academic research labs
Nov. 8, 2019
Sometimes people think of a technician position as one you might take for a few years after college, and that can be the case for some people. However, senior technicians and lab managers can play important long-term roles in labs.
Award
Winding path leads to plant enzyme breakthrough
Nov. 1, 2019
Manajit Hayer–Hartl has won the 2020/2021 ASBMB–Merck Award for her work synthesizing plant RuBisCo in E. coli.
Jobs
Academic jobs in the field of microbiology
Oct. 16, 2019
This careers column focuses on academic jobs available to study microbiology, the microbiome of the soil and water, and the symbiotic and pathogenic interactions of the microbiome with humans, plants, and animals.
Journal News
From the journals: October 2019
Oct. 1, 2019
What’s the role of ECM proteins in heart regeneration? How can an acid be converted to boost biofuel production? How does the “many ceramides” hypothesis lead to new tools for studying sphingolipid metabolism? Read about these questions and more.
Student Chapters
Biochem, with a side of advocacy
June 1, 2019
As founder of the ASBMB Student Chapter at the College of New Jersey, Kelly McAleer turns her longstanding passion for science and science advocacy into action.
Award
Kuhlman solves protein puzzles with a modeling program
April 1, 2019
The work of Brian Kuhlman can be described broadly as using computers and computational biology to model protein interactions. He uses the molecular modeling software Rosetta for protein interface design, antibody assembly and engineering photoactiv…
Annual Meeting
From art to proteomics: a path to science
March 1, 2019
Jenn Abelin is one of four young investigators chosen by the editorial team of the journal Molecular & Cellular Proteomics to present their research at the ASBMB annual meeting.
Student Chapters
Student Chapter president sees value in campus groups
Jan. 1, 2019
Investigative and medical sciences major Victoria Mak balances a full load of classes and a boatload of extracurricular activities at St. Louis University.
Student Chapters
Chapter leader finds his niche
Oct. 1, 2018
Jacob Crosser, former president of the Purdue University ASBMB Student Chapter, started college thinking he wanted to study engineering, then he discovered biochemistry.